For many professional football players, life after sports can be difficult.
Without an after-the-game-ends strategy, some find it difficult to transition to a life without the fame, glory and massive paychecks.
“When I learned that people in the city were barely able to get tested, I went to my team and said, ‘Listen, we’re going into the molecular stage right now.” – said Sylvester Williams, former NFL player and owner of Quantum Laboratory in Bridgton.
Not so for St. Louis native and former Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos defensive tackle, Sylvester Williams. After ending five seasons with the Broncos last year, one in which he won a Super Bowl ring, Williams wasn’t lost. He said he was anxious for the next phase of his life.
“You have to remember, that where I come from, a lot of guys spend their whole lives wishing they’ll play for the NFL,” Williams said. “I was 22-years-old when I accomplished that. I was a first-round draft pick, was a Super Bowl champion and played with and was coached by Hall-of-Famers. So, my career coming to an end was like ‘OK, what can I accomplish next?’”
Williams’ next feat was way outside the boundaries of sports.
In 2019, months before the coronavirus pandemic engulfed the globe, Williams became the proud owner of Missouri’s first black-owned toxicology testing company, Quantum Laboratory in Bridgeton Missouri. He said he founded the company to serve disadvantaged communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID. The company, he insists, is destined for success because of life’s philosophy.
“Personally, I bring a championship mentality to anything I am involved in,” he said.
That “championship attitude,” Williams explained, was seeded by his father as he grew up in the Northwoods area off Natural Bridge & Lucas & Hunt. The single dad worked in a factory, but he side-hustled as a mechanic. His father made sure his four children learned about hard work and respect for their elders, Williams recalled.
“If he saw me playing or riding my bike outside, he’d say ‘Come on, man. We gonna fix this car.’ If we saw a neighbor carrying groceries, he’d make me carry her groceries or push someone’s broken car,” he said. “He was big on hard work and respect.”
Although Williams’ father grappled with substance abuse, he was brutally honest with his children about “that life” and how, no matter what, they should define and focus on their goals. Williams took those lessons to heart when, after his first year at Normandy High School, he moved to Jefferson City to live with one of his older sisters. There, he attended Jefferson City High School. Adjusting to a majority white student body was challenging. In fact, Williams said he “got kicked out” in his sophomore year, but a high school coach and mentor, Andre Solomon, took him under his wing and held the student accountable for his actions. Williams joined the high school football team but only played in one game before graduating and joining the workforce.
He worked at “Backyard Burger” and Taco Bell in Jefferson City before going online seeking a factory job like his father. He was hired at Modine Manufacturing Company in Jefferson City, Mo., making radiator parts for trucks.
A casual conversation with a soon-to-be-retired machine repairman convinced Williams that life as an assembly line worker was not for him. He researched the highest-paying jobs at the plant and decided to pursue a career in engineering. Coach Solomon encouraged him to find a community college with a football team where a kid with his speed and size (320 pounds at the time) could possibly get a walk-on position with its football team.
Williams packed all his belongings in his reliable, 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue and drove to Coffeyville Community College in Kansas City. Heeding Solomon’s advice, he walked into the football coach’s office and asked for an opportunity to play with the team. Impressed with the young man’s resolve, the coach let him try out.
“After that, he said, ‘Ok, you got the size, and you’re quick.’ He gave me the opportunity to walk on, and I never looked back,” Williams said.
Williams used his savings and a student loan to enroll at Coffeyville Community College. After playing for two years there, he was offered a full-ride scholarship at the University of North Carolina (UNC). After graduation from UNC, he entered the NFL draft and was a first-round pick with the Denver Broncos. The university’s head coach, Larry Fedora, publicly recognized Williams’ accomplishments.
“It’s a great story of perseverance and hard work,” Fedora told reporters. “‘Sly’ has handled the adversity in his life with class and dignity and was able to turn around his life and become a champion.”
In his five seasons with the Broncos, Williams competed in two Super Bowl championships, winning the title in 2016. He said he lived a good life and bought “nice things” but was always good at saving money, another lesson from his father. He’d never forgotten his parent’s struggle with substance abuse and his visits with his father at a drug rehabilitation facility in St. Louis.
“Since drugs played a big part in my life, I decided this was something I wanted to go after,” Williams said.
His goal was to establish a toxicology lab to serve underserved communities and drug rehabilitation centers. Those services combined can help addicts rebuild their lives and possibly re-enter the workforce, he said.
Williams officially opened his $800,000 Quantum Laboratory facility in October 2020. The plan was to offer UTI (urinary tract) and STI testing for sexually transmitted diseases, but when the pandemic hit, he quickly pivoted to serve disadvantaged communities disproportionately impacted by the virus.
“When I learned that people in the city were barely able to get tested, I went to my team and said, ‘Listen, we’re going into the molecular stage right now,’” he said.
Going “molecular” meant Quantum would offer antigen and PCR tests that detect specific proteins on the surface of the coronavirus. These tests, Williams explained, are more reliable than at-home testing and are usually preferred by hiring and travel agencies because a professional lab supplies them with certified technicians.
Quantum partners with health agencies like People’s Health Center and Affinia Healthcare to bring testing to disadvantaged areas in the region. He said he plans to offer his services to other easily accessible locations soon.
Although he had a gratifying football career, he’s looking forward to the next chapters of his life. One of his dreams is to host an annual event where urban youth can meet successful athletes, entertainers and businesspeople for a face-to-face inspirational session.
“I realize that kids in urban communities only see people with nice cars or who seem to have all the money…but they are drug dealers or involved with illegal activities,” Williams said. “Kids need to hear stories of how people took $10,000, invested it and now make $200,000 a year. The more they can see people like me, the better.”
Williams said he’s proud to have young African American technicians working at Quantum.
“‘Success,’” means influencing youth and creating more young entrepreneurs,” he insisted. “Yes, I want to be successful, but it’s not about the money grab. I want to make an impact. I want people to say, ‘That guy made a difference.’”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.
